Electrical and mechanical connectors with a canted coil spring disposed between a housing and a shaft are known in the art. Typically the canted coil spring is disposed in a groove, which can be on or in the housing or the shaft. The spring can also be captured simultaneously between a common groove, i.e., captured by a groove on or in the housing and another on the shaft.
Various groove geometries may be used to capture the spring at a certain spring angle or position within the groove or the common groove to apply different spring forces to surfaces that contact the spring. For example, the spring may be captured within a groove on either the housing or the shaft at a certain groove orientation for a holding application. The spring may instead be captured within a common groove in a latching application that permits subsequent separation between the housing and the shaft. The spring may alternatively be captured within a common groove in a locking application that does not permit subsequent separation between the housing and the shaft without destroying the spring.